Let Freedom Ring! Volume 4 Number 11 Back Issues at http://www.cmlc.org /cmlc/pubs.htm November LNC Fiscal Crisis Deepens Election Results By-Laws Violated; Convention Loss PVLA Folks: In the 3-way Easthampton and Unknown; Debt Skyrockets vicinity State Representative race, libertarian Max ExComm Does Not Meet Pappas received 4,664 votes or 32%. He finished second. This approximately equals the perfor- The financial crisis facing the Libertarian mance of Nevadan James Dan, 33% in a two-way Nation-al Committee continues to deepen. The contest. In the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire & Party’s FEC filing for the end of September, Franklin State Senate District, running in a 2- 2002 shows $515,857 in income, $566,800 in person race PVLA member Carolyn J. McMahon disbursements, and a negative cash on hand: - received 8,376 votes or 18%. In the overlapping $6474.87. Projecting to the end of the year, in- 3rd Hamden State Rep District Alan Wilcox had come projects to be a shade over $2 million, far 581 votes for 4%. Wilcox spent about $1/vote; under the budget adopted in December 2001. McMahon spent under 25 cents per vote. Party By-Laws clearly and specifically forbid the Libertarians running for US Senate against one mi- Party National Committee to run up debts, other nor and one major party candidate did relatively than “current” debt for pending bills, namely well: Bumper Hornberger (VA) 105,046 7% “5. The Party shall not borrow in excess of Steven A. Rosile (KS) 69408 9 % $2,000 total without prior approval by 2/3 vote Massachusetts results await tabulation of the votes of the National Committee. This shall not include for Randall Forsberg, and will appear next issue. current operating debt for trade payables.” No such vote has happened. In violation of the In races for Governor, Ed Thompson (Wisconsin) By-Laws, the Party had at the end of September 183352 votes or 10.4%. The Wisconsin Green can- more than $6000 negative cash on hand. For the first 16 days of October, Party income was nearly [Election Results](Continued on page 4) $92, 000, expenditures were nearly $72,000, cash on hand rose to $13,486.41--and debts rose to Libertarians in Close Races more than $243,000. But South Dakotan Senate Candidate Our sources on the National Committee report Betrays Party, Defects to Republicans that it has still not been possible to determine Polling data from across America speaks of close how much money the 2002 convention lost. The races with Libertarians as candidates. [For com- amount is, however, known to be very large. plete reports, www.politics1.com] In the Arizona Governor race, Janet Napolitano (D) - 43%,, Matt

are edited and published by George Phillies, 87-6 Park Avenue, Worcester MA 01605, who is Corresponding to this loss, at the end of Septem- ber the reported LNC debt had risen to $229,850. Salmon (R) - 41%, Dick Mahoney (IND) - 11%, Barry Hess (LIBT) - 3%. In Indiana Congressional One might expect that when an organization is in District 7 Julia Carson (D)- 43%, Brose McVey serious financial difficulty that the governing (R) - 42%, Andy Horning (LIBT) - 5%. For Gover- board would take action, and that there would be nor of Oregon Ted Kulongoski (D) - 46%, Kevin austerity budgetary actions. Since the 2002 Con- Mannix (R) - 42%, Tom Cox (LIBT) - 3%, with Mannix closing rapidly. Errors in Direct Mail...1, Editorial: Here We Go Again....1, Useful Graphic....6, An Exemplary Campaign...6, New vention, the Executive Committee has met once, in August. The National Committee has a proce- dure for acting between meetings via mail ballot; The U.S. Senate race in South Dakota has Tim it remains unused. Johnson (D) - 47%; John Thune (R) - 45%; Unde- LNC Financial Crisis Deepens, Election Results, Libertarians in Close Races....1; LP News Uses...2; Local News, Letters...4 cided - 8%. This continues to be one of the most Cracks began to appear in the LNC’s responses competitive Senate races in the nation. Alas, the to its own members. See the Party's FEC filings Libertarian Party of South Dakota was betrayed by for this year. Payments to state parties, the Uni- its nominee, Kurt Evans, who on October 17 an- fied Membership Plan payments that began in nounced, “I've suspended my campaign and en- dorsed John Thune in the race for U.S. Senate.” [Fiscal Crisis Deepens](Continued on page 3) [Close Races](Continued on page 2) Let Freedom Ring! Libertarian Strategy Gazette Federal Campaign Finance Regulations....7 Let Freedom Ring!/Libertarian Strategy Gazette solely responsible for the contents, Pioneer Valley Libertarian Association (www.pvla.net) and others. Subscriptions are available from PVLA, c/o Carol McMahon, 221 Bumstead Road, Monson MA for $15/year ($13 persons attending PVLA meetings regularly). Checks payable Support Liberty! Subscribe to Let Freedom Ring! Let Freedom Ring! 2 Whither LP News? promoting his or her own ideas. I don't believe that the LP News should be in competition A couple of days ago I was looking at the websites of firms with Reason or Liberty. One problem with hiring a liber- that put together newsletters--generally for companies. There tarian is that they may well want to do that. I see the pri- we no quoted prices, so I suspect it is expensive. One firm had mary purpose of the LP News to be describing what our two options. The 50-50 approach required the client to submit elected public officials are doing. A second important item pictures and stories and they did the rest. The other approach should be to report on serious races for winnable office. (and That is, what our likely future public officials are doing. other firms) had people that would find out stuff to write about A third item would be to report on what our informational the client. I'm sure that the employees of the newsletter writing candidates for public office are doing. A fourth item is to firm aren't personally committed to the products that their report on protest and outreach activities by local groups. clients sell. But making a good newsletter for them is their job. A fifth item is to report on LP internal affairs. Like I said, it is probably too expensive. But, choosing a Liber- tarian and subsidizing their dream to play at being Bill Brad- Now, there may well be some Libertarians (or liber- ford or Robert Poole is something we should avoid. tarians) who are interested in putting together a newsletter made up of that sort of thing. There may be some Liber- Do I want the LP news written by someone who doesn't tarians (or libertarians) interested in writing those sorts of like Reason or Liberty and has their own special angle to sell? stories. I don't think that it requires any special ideologi- Would a libertarian editor be willing to ghost write for LP can- cal knowledge to write those sorts of stories. Cold calling didates? Could we trust them not to favor their allies? the list of local public officials and candidates and finding ...Bill Woolsey out what they are doing until one gets a list of good ideas is probably not the best approach, but it is one approach. (Continued from page 1) [Close Races] And how do we avoid getting Libertarians whose primary interest is in writing opinion pieces about current events? In the New Hampshire Senate race, Jeanne Shaheen (D) - 45%, You see, I don't think we need to know the opinions of our John Sununu (R) - 40%, Ken Blevens (LIBT) - 2%. In the paid staff. Texas US Senate Race, John Cornyn (R) - 43%, Ron Kirk (D) - 40%, Others - 2%. In the Wisconsin Governor Race: Jim Doyle Now, _if_ we want policy ideas, I think the best ap- (D) - 41%; Governor Scott McCallum (R) - 34%; Tomah Mayor proach is to get a wide selection of libertarian policy Ed Thompson (LIBT) - 10%; Jim Young (GRN) - 2%. In the ideas. That is, we put together articles based on what a California Governor race, Gray Davis (D) - 48%, Bill Simon Jr. list of libertarian think tanks say. If we want opinion (R) - 37%, Peter Camejo (GRN) - 8%, Gary Copeland (LIBT) - pieces, get columns by libertarians like Walter Williams. 3%, While in the Illinois Governor Race Rod Blagojevich (D) - (I don't know what he charges.) And various LP think 52%, Jim Ryan (R) - 40%, Cal Skinner (LIBT) - 4%, Undecided tanks put out opinion pieces for free. We could just pub- - 4%. lish a selection of them. ...George Phillies

Now, I sometimes think that the best approach would Show Your Liberty Spirit! be to have a ghost writer put together ideas from the think tanks and have candidates or public officials sign off on Become them. Most of our public officials are local and so stuff your [email protected] from the Reason foundation or Heartland would be good as sources (with appropriate citations.) We shouldn't use Now $17/month the same public officials all the time, but rather have a different one or two each month. This wouldn't be a news for Libertarians report about what a local official did, but rather an exposi- tion of some libertarian policy idea by a libertarian public Excell.net official. (I presume the public official would read the stuff and maybe even learn something.) Providers of Internet Services http://excell.net/excellnet_national-dialups.htm For state and national issues, the same procedure Dialup in most states and Canada. could be used, but under the name of candidates for state or national office. Coming up with an approach to state Libertarian Owned issues that apply to many states would be best. Libertarian Operated I actually think that a professional would be more in- Supporters of the terested in doing such a thing than a libertarian writer. Pioneer Valley Libertarian Association Especially more so than a libertarian writer interested in 3 Let Freedom Ring! (Continued from page 1) [Fiscal Crisis Deepens] ployed by the LNC as a development director. Now, your 1996-1997, have regularly been made on the 15th of each humble author has run for National Chair, traveled coast to month, or perhaps a day or two early. In October 2002 coast to Party conventions, run hospitality suites more than some state parties were indeed paid on the usual schedule, once...This is a staggering amount of money to spend on but the state parties of California, Colorado, Georgia, Illi- travel. One might ask if there were no efficiencies to be nois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Wash- had. ington were not. Their payments, $1000 or more each, were on the Party's 10/16 FEC filing as debts. They were There are several challenges to solving party financial prob- paid the next week. This was not a bookkeeping error. lems: 1) There is competition for the income of party mem- The Party did not have the money in the bank to write the bers: State parties, unwinnable large campaigns, PACs, checks on the usual date. Harry Browne's RCR and ALF groups, and this year over 1600 candidates and referenda could use your help. A letter from National Treasurer Deryl Martin to Ten- 2) LNC credibility has suffered from a decade of nessee Libertarians, as forwarded to this newspaper, dis- promises: Project Archimedes would boost Party member- cussed the issue. We quote in part: ship to 50,000, 100,000,... all for $20.00 per member (guaranteed by National Chair candidate David Bergland in “My Dear Tennessee Libertarians: 1998) Many members don’t distinguish between the LNC It is with much regret that I have to write this letter and big campaigns: Harry Browne, who campaigned to in- asking for your help. I have quite literally just gotten off stall David Bergland, Steve Dasbach, Jim Lark, and Eli Is- the phone with National Chair Geoff Neale who is in DC rael, claimed he had a $750,000 reserve fund, a $1,000,000 this week...continuing to ascertain the extent of the finan- cash reserve, 4000+ campaign volunteers. Many members cial damage caused by our ongoing findings of inaccurate, believe that there is extensive evidence that those promises amateurish bookkeeping...By now you should have re- were not what they sounded. ceived either Geoff's email or hard-copy appeal in which 3) Where is the crisis? Political Director Ron Cricken- he told you why we need the funds. In a nutshell, our na- berger is actively soliciting funds for purposes other than to tional convention was a financial disaster. pay the LP's bills. On October 24, a quarter-century life member counted three email appeals in the past eight days, “Together, we have decided that we need about $10 per including one to help five LP candidates; one to buy cable national member immediately to pull us out of this hole. TV ads on our medical marijuana stance, and one asking I'm talking (needing it) now....I'm talking about the five support for the sponsors of the NV marijuana initiative. minutes it would take you to send the National LP a check Another appeal drew into question the LNC’s credibil- for only $10. Yes, we are in dire financial straits, and I'm ity. The call included “$5,000 in Pennsylvania to ensure personally asking you to take the next five minutes, give Ken Krawchuk gets on the ballot for governor. If Ken can up two video rentals, and help save our beloved party....” get 2% of the vote...voters will again be able to register Lib- ertarian in Pennsylvania.” Ken did get on the ballot, and What are the National Party’s debts? At the start of Octo- has reportedly done extremely well in his debates. How- ber, the LNC owed: AccuMail mailing services 20660; ever, the LNC claim about Party registration was false. Re- Bacon's Information clipping service 2367; B & B Dupli- gardless of Krawchuk’s vote total, you will be able to regis- cators printing 2163; Blue Cross staff health insurance ter Libertarian in PA. Former Party State Chair Lois 6941; Capital Improvement Convention Deposit 23084; Kaneshiki notes that the 2% vote, if obtained, only means De Lage copier lease 731; Dialogic Communications 750; that County Election Boards report their counts of regis- Eccountable computer consulting 8606; Georgetown In- tered Libertarians to the State Government. County Liber- surance Service Inc. 882; Global Crossing conference call- tarian committees could still run Libertarian candidates, get ing 509; Erin Hollinden telemarketing 1513; Marriott In- 2%, and be recognized political entities locally. dianapolis lodging catering 52987; MCS Event Conven- 4) The Message of change at National is not going to tion Staging 7085; Mount Vernon Printing printing the members. LP News reported the Dasbach recognition on 55249; Purchase Power postage 2967; Quill Corporation Page 3, saying it was due to "differences with the Libertar- office supplies 1435;Rubino & McGeehin accounting ian National Committee over management and strategic is- 16500; TrizecHahn Watergate Office rent 7492; United sues". This statement a subtext: Most members see Das- Parcel Service shipping 1673; Votenet Solutions web ser- bach as a long-time activist. His statement about differences vices 1495; Walton Press printing 4904; Winstar phone sends a message: He thinks that the new LNC is doing service 2472; Xpeditefax service 5641. something wrong, so wrong that he felt obliged to resign, with no hint that there were difficulties in Washington. No Some debts were paid. For example, the Party reports description was given of the August ExComm meeting, spending more than $34,910 on the Rand for Congress whose minutes paint a very different picture, namely that campaign. Rand was not even on the ballot. The Na- LNC members had a total loss of confidence in Party Staff tional Party also gave more than $8090 in “Travel Reim- reports and dropped transparent hints that resignations were bursements” to Eric Caron, who at that time was em- expected. Let Freedom Ring! 4 (Continued from page 1) [Election Results] didate had 43702 or 2.5%, which appears to be the consis- Letters tent Green base in much of the country. In California, Gary Richard Winger writes: Copeland set a record for Libertarian candidates for Gover- nor, getting 2.18%, enough for California Party status. In You said that my assessment of "success" was based upon NH, John Babiarz had 13,028 votes or 2.96%, missing the the number of gubernatorial and US Senate candidates the 4% needed for Party Status. On the other hand, in Indiana party fielded. My charts had nothing to do with how many Rebecca Sink-Burris did get the 4% of the vote needed for candidates the parties had run. They were entirely differ- Party status in that state. In Massachusetts, the campaign of ent. I listed, for each state, the minor party candidate who Carla Howell drew 22,898 votes or 1%. Her income tax ref- polled the highest percentage of the vote since World War erendum (for elimination of that tax) gained 852,491 and II, for those two offices. And since the Libertarian Party 1,026,482 votes, losing 45-55%. In other Massachusetts had more "winners" than any other minor party, that was races (number of other candidates are also listed: the basis for the national party's claim. Thank you. Auditor (1 major) Kamal Jain (Lib.) 133,380 -- 7% State Representatives: Mark Murphy writes: 7th Bristol 2 way Raymond P. Leary Jr. (Lib.) 1,109 --15% 14th Essex (3 way) Leavitt (Green) 1,158 -- 10% If a successful person is opening up a new store, it's because 4th Middlesex (3 way) Mark Testagrossa (Lib.) 561 -- 4% they've built up the capital (or enough proper capital) to do 6th Middlesex (2 way) James Pillsbury (Lib.) 3,273 -- 25% so. At this point, their work load would be too heavy trying 7th Middlesex (2 way) Gregory Doherty (Lib.) 2,722 -- 24% to operate both stores at the same time, and thus the work 11th Middlesex (2 way) Danny Fain (Lib.) 2,722 -- 18% load demands hiring. 17th Middlesex (3 way) Eryk C. Boston (Lib.) 636 -- 7% 21st Middlesex (3 way) Elias Israel (Lib.) 563 -- 4% Here's how the LP would approach the above scenario? The 6th Norfolk (3 way) Richard Yampell (Lib.) 335 -- 2% LP would say it is going to open 10 stores over the next year 8th Plymouth (2 way) George Berdos Jr. (Lib.) 2,476 -- 21% without having the capital, but thinking it will based on fu- 12th Worcester (2 way) William Pacheco (Lib.) 2,768-- ture funding. So, the LP goes out to hire 10 managers of 20% these 10 new stores that will be opened in the future. So, West Mesa Arizona: our candidate for Justice of the Peace there's be 10 managers sitting around.... with the LP pro- Michael Kielsky got 2384 votes or 30% in a two-way race. moting "look, we have 10 managers for our 10 new stores that we'll be opening soon.... send in the money!"

Local News Hiring someone to be in charge of a new operation is only Michigan Libertarians have formed a new political action sensible if there's enough work to justify the position... and committee, The Small Government Alliance, that will work it outside the LP. The SGA’s goal is to reduce "the size and shouldn't be a "director" or expectations of a "director". scope of government in both the personal and financial lives of all peaceful, honest people. Officers include co-founder For example, here in the State of CA, if I were Chair, I'd Tim O’Brien, Communications Director Greg Dirasian, De- propose to the ExCom that we hire a staff worker to handle velopment Director Bill Shotey, and Treasurer Nancy the current business of the State Party (communications O'Brien. O'Brien is is the former executive director of the with the various counties, Sec of State, handling calls, Michigan LP. The SGA will support candidates, lobby, en- newsletter, research for political action). gage in public information campaigns, and build alliances with other organizations. It has already sponsored a fund- STAFF raiser for Republican State Representative Leon Drolet, who is also a dues—paying LP member. For more information, Not a *manager* or *director*. www.smallgov.org. Once there was too much work for the one staff member Real Campaign Reform reports it will be running radio ads (presumably based on projects and funding), we'd be ready “...exposing politicians who voted for the anti-free speech to hire additional staff (perhaps part time depending on the and anti-free press Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act growth). (BCRA). ” The ad series airing 33 times was broadcast on WBET AM 1460, Brockton, Massachusetts honoring Sena- At the point there's enough staff to manage where it's too tor Kerrey, who is running against Libertarian Michael much of a burden for a part time State Chair, it would be Cloud. time to hire a manager. Etc.

Papermail trumps email: Our source reports that there are This is the normal course of growth. It is the proper way to fewer than 150 Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania people on grow.... no matter if one is a business or a non-profit like the palibernet email list, and 1,200 people on the hard-copy newsletter list. group such as org. ...Mark F. Murphy